Back In Hanoi

Arrived this Sunday afternoon via VN214 from HCMC. And immediately after check-in at the ATS Hotel, I went to the Old Quarter Area, my favorite place in Hanoi. Photo shows the main rotonda which Patrick fondly calls as "Times Square."

Here the shops and the backpackers converge to enjoy the city’s rich culture and inexpensive bargains. Yes, bargains. Along Hang Gai Street, one will find a row of silk shops. I have a couple of suki shops here. One is Cu Thanh where I had a couple of suits and polo shirts made. Another is a shop (forgot the name but have a picture of the sales girl whose presence has been part of every visit).

I remember when Chief and I were here in December 2003. She flew in from Hanoi for the weekend while I was teaching at the Hanoi School of Business.

This time, am all alone here in Hanoi.

I also visit my suki DVD shops where backpackers buy rare to find CDs and box-sets of TV series, from the U.S. I quicky took notice of the 70s version of Charlie’s Angels and McGyver from the 80s. Tempted to buy. But I was focused as a sci-fi fan. Definitely, the original Star Trek and the Next Generation!

Plus, I bought 3 Cds for dad. “The Enchantment” by Chick Correa and Bela Fleck. “I am from Austria” by the Vienna Boys Choir. And Rod Stewart “Great Rock Classics of our time.” Each CD is only 30,000 VND… roughly, 120 pesos.

By early evening, I was back at the hotel and to my surprise, there was free wi-fi Internet connection. Chief called up later… checking up on me? Hehehe.

Education and CSR

Am attending the Asian CSR Forum now in HCMC, Vietnam and will scribble my thoughts later.

Presence Like John Woo

Remember the “Replacement Killers” by John Woo. “Shoot em up” is much like a western movie with guns blazing and running horses. But this one has an urban setting and cars. Again, BMW makes a point with Clive Owen, as Mr. Smith, on the wheel. His car out runs and outperforms all other cars, specially a Benz.

All throughout the movie, Smith, with is carrot sticks and 9 mm. shoot his way through the city. According to a fan website, he kills around 100 of the bad guys led Mr. Hertz, (Paul Giamatti). Monica Belluci plays Donna Quintano, a prostitute who helps take care of the movie, whose mother is killed in the first scene.

The website Worstpreviews says, "...the studio has screened it at several places with an overall audience response that it is nothing more than a big shoot-out....While many people do not see anything wrong with this, the problem is that the script started off with the shoot-outs and then had a plot thrown into it, and not the other way around."

Another website says 100 goones were killed by Smith in the movie.

Shoot 'Em Up is a written and directed by Michael Davis (Monster Man) and produced by Susan Montford and Don Murphy. Photos courtesy of New Line Cinema.

If you like John Woo movies, this one makes the good guys look even more exciting. Chief said, “Probably, Clive wanted to make a Bond-type of movie,” as we saw a shoot-out in the sky as Clive and the bad guys parachute-out of an airplane.

Between Daniel Craig and Clive Owen, I would say, Clive would have made a much better James Bond. And his short scene as Agent 007 in the "Pink Panther" makes the point and this Shoot em up places an exclamation mark!

The Brave One.

Last Friday night, after Chief's dental appointment, we watched "The Brave One." Chief is a fan of Jodie Foster. And am a fan of Chief, so guess, that brought us at Glorietta Cinema 3 with Smokey's Hotdog and popcorn to enjoy Jodie Foster's presence on the big screen.

It is an eye for an eye thriller that brings Jodie's character to seek vengeance not only for the thugs that killed her boyfriend but for all the crime in New York City. Watching this movie sure did bring back memories when Chief and I were in the Big Apple last December 2003. Luckily, we didn't witness any crimes. Guess, it is due to the cold winter. Plus, we didn't get to move around Central Park.

Jodie Foster plays Erica Bain, a radio talk personality who waks the streets of New York and shares the sounds and the stories thorugh her show "Street Walk." Until one day, she and her fiance David Kirmani (Naveen Andrews from Lost) are attacked in Central Park. David is killed and it takes weeks for Erica to recover and discover she has become another person. A Brave One.

She meets an NYPD detective Sean Mercer (Terrence Howard) who is tracking down another killer but can't put him in jail. But Erica does him a favor. She tracks him down and pushes him off a building. Sean finally discovers Erica "other side" but towards the end, protects her.

Maybe, instead of an eye for an eye... we could be like the Good Samaritan. Ready to help. But it what happened to Erica Bain, happened to me or anyone I loved, that would be a totally different story. Maybe, make me a brave one too?

Photo courtesy of Warner Brothers

Erap Found Guilty

Yesterday, former president Joseph Estrada was found guilty of plunder. “Guilty” was splashed as the headine of the Philippine Star. In the banner story written by Sandy Araneta, she reports that the former president was sentenced to spend “practically the rest of his life in jail.”

“I am at peace with myself” says Erap. He was also acquitted of perjury.

Am not a political writer. The closest would be as a columnist for the Manila Times. And must admit have not been following the case through the years.

But am scribbling about Erap’s presence among the Filipino “masa.”

Born April 19, 1937, Jose Marcelo Ejercito rose to fame as a popular former film actor in the Philippines. He did 158 movies throughout his career.

He was elected the 13th President of the Philippines and served from June 30, 1998 to January 20, 2001, until he was ousted by “People Power II.” I didn’t join that historical event, unlike the four days I was in EDSA back in February 1986.

Even while under house arrest, he was continued to affect and influence Pinoy politics. Politicians request to be present whenever he is at his Greenhills home.

I guess, even while he is behind bars, whether under house-arrest in Tanay or is some “bilibid,” only history will judge how his presence in the political landscape affected the lives of the “masa.”

DoD photo by Helene C. Stikkel. (Released)

Kristy: My Buddy

When Bob and I were still in high school, we both had a crush on Kristy Ann McNichol. Or “Buddy” for short. She was the star on the popular TV series called “Family.” I remember, we would get extra copies of TV Times that featured her story or her face on the magazine cover.

Kristy was born September 11, 1962, in Los Angeles, California. She started acting at 6 years old and for 25 years enjoyed a career on television and film. Many young teenagers like Bob and I had her image in our minds during the mid-70s.

She did guest appearances on a Starsky and Hutch, The Bionic Woman, Love American Style and The Love Boat.

"Family" was one of the early shows on TV which handled real life issues. Michael J. Fox and Leif Garrett also guest-starred in “Family.” We cheered when she won the Emmy Awards for Best Supporting Actress in a Dramatic Series in 1977 and 1979.

But became sad when her career stopped in 1994, She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

When Family went off the air in 1980, McNichol appeared in “Little Darlings” with Tatum O'Neal. And with Dennis Quaid in “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia” (1980) where she received an unheard of six figures for at the age of 19.

She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress in Only When I Laugh, by Neil Simon in which Marsha Mason (The Goodbye Girl) received the Golden Globe for Best Actress (1981).

I last watched Kristy McNichol in 1983 in a movie called “The Pirate Movie” with Christopher Atkins. I have the cassette tape (No CDs) during those years yet. Nasaan na kaya iyon?

Her last public statement to her fans was in June 2001, when she said: "A lot of people have wondered what I've been up to. I retired from my career after 24 years. My feeling was that it was time to play my biggest part -- MYSELF! I must say that it has been the best thing that ever happened to me. So many fans are disappointed that I'm not currently acting, however some may not realize that the process I'm in at this time is necessary and vital for my personal happiness and well-being."

2974

I remember Chief and I were still in Vietnam in September 11, 2001. We had just come home from work. And browsing through the cable network stations, the attacks had filled the screens of all news stations like CNN and BBC. We stayed glued to CNN all night long, watching the heroism and horror of what was happening in the United States.

Last January 2004, when Chief and I made our first trip to the East Coast, we did visit "ground zero" and said a prayer for all the families who those who died during 9/11. By that time, ground zero had been cordoned off by a steel fence but one could still see the ground emptied by the attacks.

Let us say a quiet prayer for the 2,974 persons whose physical presence on this earth was erased by the terrorist attacks in the United States six years ago.

Illustrations from http://www.artwing.com/september11.htm

24 x 10

Ten things about Jack Bauer

1. Jack tells his partner Chase Edmunds, (Season 3) "You cannot do this job and have a normal life at the same time."

2. Bauer drew the ire of the Chinese government when he infiltrated and extracted a Chinese scientist named Lee Jong from the Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles. This resulted in the death of the Chinese Consul. (Season 4)

2. Jack has a bachelor's degree in English Literature and Master of Science in Criminology and Law from UC Berkeley.

4 George Mason (Season 1) says, "Rules don't apply to Jack Bauer. He does what he wants, when he wants, and he doesn't care whose life it affects."

5. Jack carries a messenger bag or "Jack Pack" to organize and carry all his field equipment.

6. He was born in California, on February 18, 1966, the son of Phillip Bauer.

7. He worked as a Los Angeles Police Department SWAT team member.

8. Was asked to join the U.S. Army's elite special operations unit Delta Force.

9. Jack was married to Teri Bauer and has one daughter, Kim Bauer.

10. He shot a witness in front of George Mason and says: "That's the problem with people like you, George. You want results, but you never want to get your hands dirty."

Photos from http://www.fox.com/24

Presence Bigger Than Life

Luciano Pavarotti was bigger than life with his music. He brought opera music to the world’s biggest public venues from the ruins of the Roman Empire to the green trees of Central Park. From San Francisco to Sydney, Manila to Milan, people in gowns and tailcoats or T-shirts and jeans were awed by his voice and bigger than life presence.

He voice blended beautifully with many of the world’s biggest musical artists. Bono. Elton John. Stevie Wonder. Sting. Even the Spice Girls. His voice is immediately recognizable, a warm Italian diction like no other, with beauty of tone, color and heft.

Pavarotti died Thursday at age 71 at his home in Modena, in Northern Italy.

He first gained great fame as Tonio in Donizetti's "La Fille du Regiment," tossing off the famous nine high Cs of "Ah, mes amis" with startling ease.

In the annals of music, he joined Caruso, Beniamino Gigli, Giuseppe Di Stefano, Mario Del Monaco and Franco Corelli as Italian tenors of the highest rank.

Some of his repertoire choices, especially at Three Tenors concerts, were unfortunate. He even sung "Moon River" and "My Way" while Frank Sinatra was in the audience at Dodger Stadium in 1994.

Pavarotti extended his presence far beyond the limits of Italian opera. He became an icon in music pop culture. Millions appreciated his personality, charm and generosity.

By the 1980s he expanded his franchise and worked and shared the stage with Plácido Domingo and José Carreras as the Three Tenors. It started with the concerts associated with the World Cup. I remember seeing those World Cup plugs on TV. Eventually, the trio travelled around the world bringing opera music to millions.

At the Met on March 13, 2004, he received a 15-minute standing ovation and 10 curtain calls. He sang 379 performances at the Met, of which 357 were in fully staged opera productions.

Luciano Pavarotti was born in Modena, Italy, on Oct. 12, 1935. His father was a baker and an amateur tenor while his mother worked at a cigar factory. Early in his life, he listened to opera recordings.

“I’m not a politician, I’m a musician,” he told the BBC Music Magazine in an April 1998 article about his efforts for Bosnia. “I care about giving people a place where they can go to enjoy themselves and to begin to live again. To the man you have to give the spirit, and when you give him the spirit, you have done everything.”

Guess, I will keep that “Best of Opera Music” CD in the car so that Pavarotti will continue to make his presence felt in our lives.

Kobe In Manila

Another celebrity or personality also born on August is Kobe Bryant, who is currently making his presence felt to thousands of Filipino basketball fans with his visit here in Manila as part of The Kobe Supernatural Asia Tour.

I was supposed to fall in line at the Nike Store at The Fort last Saturday morning to get tickets for myself and Miguel to attend his meeting with the meeting kids from the Eliseo Belen Charity at the Nike Park.

According to a report by Pam Pastor of the Phil. Daily Inquirer, people started to fall in line as early as 6am that Saturday morning to get tickets and within 20 minutes, over 2,000 tickets had been claimed by fans.


Melissa Crucillo, Nike Philippines country marketing manager says, “Kobe Bryant serves as a basketball icon, inspiration and role-model to a lot of our young Filipino athletes and Nike Philippines is proud to bring him closer to his fans,”

But even if I did get tickets for Wednesday's event, my thesis class tied me up all day. Guess, I will just try to watch a Lakers basketball game at the Staples Stadium when Chief and I visit the States in December.

Kobe was born on August 23, 1978. He is a shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers. Bryant is the only son of former Philadelphia 76ers player and former Los Angeles Sparks head coach Joe "Jellybean" Bryant.

In 1996, he was drafted straight out from high school. The first one ever. And together with Shaq, Derick Fisher, Robert Horry, Rick Fox and the rest of the Lakers, they won three consecutive NBA championships from 2000 to 2002.

Photos of Kobe in Manila by Rolex dela Pena and Jay Directo from the LA Times website.

Her Call To Help

Seldom do we feel the presence of a person, who is actually not physically present near us. Mother Teresa continues to make her presence felt with the legacy of her work with the Missionaries of Charity.

Born in August 26, 1910, she was an Albanian nun who won the Noble Peace Prize in 1979. Her lifelong devotion and commitment to the poorest of the poor in Calcutta, India has earned her the title, “The Living Saint.”

As early as September 1946, Teresa experienced her “calling while traveling to the Loreto convent in Darjeeling for her annual retreat. "I was to leave the convent and help the poor while living among them. It was an order. To fail would have been to break the faith." (Photo from www.tidm.com

In 1982, during a siege in Beirut, Mother Teresa rescued 37 children trapped in a front line hospital by brokering a temporary cease-fire between the Israeli army and Palestinian guerrillas. Together with by Red Cross workers, she traveled through the war zone to the devastated hospital to evacuate the young patients.

Last 05 September 1995, she left this world. At least physically. But her presence continues shine in the hearts of the thousands of poor she has helped and inspire the many others who continue her work.

Over the years, Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity grew from twelve to thousands serving the "poorest of the poor" in 450 centers around the world. By 1996, she was operating 517 missions in more than 100 countries.

She received numerous recognitions and awards. In 1962, she received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for International Understanding.

Following her death she was beatified by Pope John Paul II and given the title Blessed Teresa of Calcutta.

Mother Teresa's Words

“Our Lord wants me to be a free nun covered with the poverty of the cross. Today I learned a good lesson. The poverty of the poor must be so hard for them. While looking for a home I walked and walked till my arms and legs ached. I thought how much they must ache in body and soul, looking for a home, food and health. Then the comfort of Loreto [her former order] came to tempt me. 'You have only to say the word and all that will be yours again,' the Tempter kept on saying ... Of free choice, my God, and out of love for you, I desire to remain and do whatever be your Holy will in my regard. I did not let a single tear come.”

(Spink, Kathryn (1997). Mother Teresa: A Complete Authorized Biography. New York)

Start of BER Months

Yesterday was the start of BER months and the presence of Christmas in our lives will slowly be felt. Amidst the traffic and tension of everyday living, many of us, specially the little kids like Miguel, Carla, Geneve and Nicole and Juluis, Juami, Jag will be counting the days when they wil open gifts that will bring cheer to their faces!

But shouldn't everyday be Christmas day... with Christ in the center of our lives!

(Photo taken last year at our Greenhome. Christmas display design by Chief)